LÁWÛ (Skt. राहुः ; Jpn. 羅睺), according to Kapampangan tradition, is a mythical bird-like dragon that swallows the sun or the moon, thereby causing an eclipse: Ikmul né ning Láwû ing Aldó ‘the Láwû swallowed the sun’ or Ikmul né ing Búlan ‘the Láwû swallowed the moon’.
Wood carving of the LÁWÛ on the leg of a wooden altar hidden at the sacristy of the church of Santiago Matamoros in Betis.
A Lakandánup ‘famine’ is predicted if the Láwû swallows the sun or the moon whole (total eclipse) and then excretes them (Tiklâ né ning Láwû). If the sun or moon was able to fight the Láwû and burst out of its stomach (Mitdas ya atian), hence a partial eclipse, Lakandánup ‘famine’ is prevented.
In the present era, only the Kapampangan farmers and fishermen of Candaba, Masantol and Sasmuan still know the lore of the Láwû.
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